Chapter 978: Gods Falling in a Wave

The chaos is incredibly dangerous; anything can happen within it.

Some traversing the chaos have discovered massive, inexplicable skeletal remains. Even a slight approach to these remains can lead to the erosion of one's divine foundation by the corrosive substances they emit, utterly destroying it.

Others have encountered endless, blinding symbols of order. Even a venerable God-King would be torn to shreds in a single breath, never to be reborn.

Still others have found mysterious artifacts predating creation. Nine out of ten who approach these objects perish, and the rare few who return are transfigured, their existence worse than death.

Naturally, the more perilous and terrifying a region, the greater its potential for fortune and opportunity. Death and opportunity have always coexisted, separated by merely a fine line.

The large ship moved swiftly. It carried eleven deities!

The ship's hull was cast from special brass. Intricate patterns, fragments of embedded laws, were etched onto its surface, ensuring the ship's immense durability.

The eleven deities stood motionless on the ship's deck, gazing forward. Some stood with their hands behind their backs, others gripped battle-swords, and some had eyes like blazing rainbows, striving to pierce the chaos.

Mist billowed all around; it was pure chaos. The brass ship surged forward like a streaking light, cleaving through the mist and navigating perils as if riding the wind and waves. It was incredibly fast.

The eleven deities were like ancient, eternal fossilized statues. Yet, terrifying energy emanated from their bodies, and their eyes, when they opened and closed, were intimidating.

“This is our last chance. If we gain nothing, we might be forever banished to the netherworld, unable to return, doomed to die in a foreign land!”

One deity spoke, their voice low and their expression grim. If they couldn't return, even as deities, they would go mad.

“If it truly comes to that, we will clear the area, cleanse the netherworld's star sea, and create a domain brimming with yang energy ourselves, evolving it into a divine secret realm.”

“Easier said than done, but if it truly reaches that point, I won’t object, no matter what happens.”

Silence then fell upon them; no one spoke further, the deities quiet. They genuinely did not wish to remain in this realm.

CRACK!

In the distance, lightning flashed densely, like waterfalls from the Ninth Heaven. Layer upon layer, it intricately wove together.

The brass ship navigated around it, and the Heavenly Venerate's decree affixed to its hull glowed, warding off the danger!

The eleven deities stood firm, their aura imposing. All gazed into the distance.

Additionally, a group of Illuminator-level evolutionaries sat motionless on the deck, behaving discreetly. All wore ancient armor, and cold, sharp weapons lay across their laps.

As for the Saints, there were over a hundred of them, sitting quietly in the corners. Such a large gathering caused the yang energy to become dense and life force to surge powerfully.

More than half of the forces from the positive realm were concentrated here, with only a smaller portion left to guard the fragmented chaotic cosmos.

They desired success in this endeavor. Otherwise, none would be able to return home, all destined to die in a foreign land.

Behind the brass ship, a fist-sized stone box flew, locked onto its target, following closely.

Chu Feng was assessing the distance. They were far enough from the chaotic cosmos now; perhaps the optimal moment to act had arrived!

He had previously approached closely; the stone box had concealed all his aura, making him undetectable. He already knew the true strength of those aboard the brass ship.

“First, I need to deal with the Heavenly Venerate's decree, then eliminate that old weasel hiding in the ship's cabin. However, it's extremely afraid of death and has thorough protective measures. Attacking it first might alert the others.”

What Chu Feng truly feared were the artifacts the Heavenly Venerate had left for these individuals. As for the deities themselves, he wasn't overly concerned.

“I need to find a way to provoke the divine master on board; it would be entertaining if they suffered a backlash.” Chu Feng pondered for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He had learned that the last time the old weasel forcefully performed a divination, it was nearly reverted to its original form and almost destroyed.

The stone box approached, getting closer and closer to the ship's hull.

Inside the ship's cabin, the old weasel and another divine master were seated cross-legged. At this moment, both felt a sense of unease. Being exceptionally skilled in divination, they were naturally very sensitive to matters concerning their own safety.

“I don’t know why, but I've felt uneasy ever since we set off,” the old weasel said.

The other old divine master spoke, saying, “Yes, I feel it too. This journey to the netherworld might encounter unforeseen changes. Is the Great Abyss becoming more dangerous? Moreover, just now, I experienced a sudden palpitation.”

“Just like me, I had a momentary sensation of terror!” The old weasel’s expression changed, its fur bristling. It sat there, its gaze deep and unsettling.

In an instant, it quickly tossed out several tortoise shells and meticulously performed a divination. It wanted to ascertain what would happen on their journey to the netherworld cosmos.

“Extreme ill omen?!”

“We might die on our journey to the netherworld cosmos?!”

Both divine masters were terrified and began divining their own fates. Where exactly was the danger coming from?

“It seems to be related to that supreme treasure, but I can only sense it vaguely. Everything is hazy and chaotic; I can’t calculate it precisely!”

Their expressions were grim, and worry etched their faces.

“This is Chu Feng’s blood, and remnants of his battle attire. Let's use these to try and divine his whereabouts. The supreme treasure should be on him, which might make it relatively easier.”

“But we are still in the chaos, too far away. Targeting him will be too difficult.”

“It's just a try. If it works, great; if not, then so be it. Otherwise, the path ahead is too dangerous, and I feel a constant dread. I would be utterly unwilling to die in the netherworld.”

They began their divinations, calculating with caution.

At this moment, one side of the stone box emitted a faint, crystalline glow. Its clear patterns depicted sprawling mountain ranges and topographical features.

Chu Feng already knew that once the stone box glowed, it completely shrouded the heavenly secrets. He had no fear of anyone performing divinations against him.

Inside the cabin, the old weasel coughed blood, its face ashen, and it felt incredibly weak—almost unbelievable. It gasped, “Why is the backlash so severe from such a distance?!”

On the other side, the old divine master's face was also sallow; just now, blood had spurted from his nose and mouth. These were precious essence-blood, leaving their bodies utterly exhausted.

“When I was divining just now, my heart pounded wildly, as if a colossal entity were close by, targeting us. What's going on? I can’t analyze anything at all.”

The more bewildered they became, the more unsettled they grew, desperately wanting to understand the situation.

After several attempts, both slumped heavily within the cabin, barely breathing. This terrified the few Daoist disciples serving them, who quickly fled.

All eleven deities were alarmed and quickly rushed into the cabin. They held the two divine masters in high regard.

Chu Feng also moved, approaching rapidly from the chaos, quietly guiding the stone box onto the large ship. He appeared at the bow, instantly opening the stone box and directing it towards the Heavenly Venerate's decree.

“Whoosh!”

Effortlessly, he drew the decree into the stone box. He immediately closed the lid, sealing off its aura from the outside.

This was the object he feared the most. However, he had also learned that if left unactivated, the decree would not attack on its own.

He had killed deities in the netherworld and searched their soul-light, gaining a rough understanding of simple activation methods.

CRACK!

Deprived of the Heavenly Venerate's decree, the brass ship immediately encountered immense resistance. Even without chaotic lightning nearby, there were still dangerous fragments of rules and other elements.

Sparks flew and metal shrieked from the hull as it was corroded by mysterious energy.

“What happened?!”

Not to mention the Illuminators, even the eleven deities inside the cabin couldn't remain calm. They felt a chill to their bones; an accident while traveling through chaos could easily lead to total annihilation.

Chu Feng vanished without attracting anyone’s notice.

Though he had come for revenge, he was extremely cautious. He was concerned there might be other Heavenly Venerate artifacts.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The deities rushed out and instantly saw the bow was empty; the Heavenly Venerate's decree was gone. This made them cry out in alarm, their faces filled with panic.

As for the other Illuminators and Saints, they were also stunned. The decree had vanished abruptly, and they hadn't seen what happened, utterly bewildered.

Without the protection of this item, everyone was surely doomed. Sooner or later, they would be struck dead by the lightning within the chaos.

“Turn back!” one person roared, driven to desperation.

Chu Feng watched from a distance, estimating that these individuals likely had no other Heavenly Venerate artifacts.

However, he was not in a hurry to act; he simply watched.

The large ship turned around, heading back with full power.

During this process, the ship's hull hummed and developed fine cracks. It was being lacerated by various stray fragments of order within the chaos; at this rate, it was bound to disintegrate.

The eleven deities swiftly took action, resisting this corrosion.

“How did the Heavenly Venerate’s decree vanish? Was it taken by some creature? That’s impossible; who would dare touch it unless they possessed an artifact or a being of equivalent power?!” one deity murmured, their face livid, and fear slowly crept into their expression.

“Don't scare yourselves. Perhaps some mysterious law emerged within the chaos and eroded the Heavenly Venerate’s decree; it’s not impossible.”

CRACK!

The large ship collided with a section of desiccated bone in the chaos, and its bow shattered. It was a dark, terrifyingly hard bone of unknown origin, glowing with a black light. The brass warship, now without the Heavenly Venerate’s decree for protection, could not withstand the impact.

Such was the terrifying nature of chaos; anything could happen.

“Ah…” A chorus of gasps erupted as a grave crisis descended, filling everyone with dread.

Chu Feng appeared, having confirmed that the enemy had no further tricks up their sleeve. When he descended onto the ship, stone box in hand, the group was shocked.

How could they not be terrified when someone suddenly emerged from the chaos and appeared so abruptly?

“You are… Chu Feng?!” a Saint cried out, finding it hard to believe. How could a native of the netherworld come here and dare to face them?

Although he was their target, everyone now felt uneasy. Even the deities felt a slight chill; how could this young man from the netherworld dare to arrive without a strong backing?!

“Let the person behind you come out!” an Illuminator shouted.

“Seize him!” a deity attacked. Regardless, even if there were formidable experts nearby, they couldn't afford to care. They had to capture Chu Feng first, either as a hostage or to kill him directly.

None of them believed Chu Feng could fight them on his own; it was simply unrealistic. Only a year had passed; no one could grow so quickly.

“Something must have emerged from the Great Abyss…” a Saint stammered, looking at the surrounding chaos.

In fact, this was also the conjecture of the eleven deities present. The netherworld’s last reliance was that place, unless a being emerged from it.

One deity attacked Chu Feng, swiftly and fiercely, aiming to control him immediately. Their silver palm was covered in intricate runic symbols.

Whoosh!

However, in an instant, Chu Feng’s entire body glowed brilliantly, and his sword-wings swept across the sky, slashing continuously. In a flash, they disintegrated the deity’s arm into a mist of blood.

A flash of sword light, and the deity’s head flew off.

The sword-wings vibrated, and the deity’s headless body disintegrated into fragments and bloody mist. Vast amounts of divine particles flew towards Chu Feng, converging upon him.

Everyone was terrified, including the remaining ten god-level experts. What kind of power was this? He had annihilated one of their deities in a single exchange!

The remaining deities were startled and afraid; at this moment, a chill ran from head to toe. The 'native' in their eyes had dared to come because he was strong enough, relying solely on his own power!

“Kill!”

They attacked together. Regardless, there was no turning back now; they could only grit their teeth and fight. The people from the positive realm understood: they had killed Chu Feng’s parents, annihilated his friends and family, and even his Dao companion had perished. There could be no peaceful resolution!

“Pfft, pfft, pfft!”

Chu Feng’s eyes were bloodshot. A century of cultivation, practicing forbidden arts in a foreign land, all for this very day. As soon as the battle began, he went all out; blood splattered, several deities fell, and divine blood rained down!

“Divine General?!”

How could this be?!

They could barely believe it—Chu Feng had achieved the rank of Divine General?!